


Flashing Lights

by SummerRaine14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Actress!Betty, Addiction recovery, Author!Jughead, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, F/M, Famous bughead, NOT BUGHEAD CENTRIC, Self Harm, Singer!Betty, Triggers, dark themes, self hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-06-28 20:05:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15714162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: "The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are."At the age of 24, Betty Cooper thrived off of the control she had in her life, only to come apart at the hands of addiction and realize she never had any real control at all.A journey of losing and finding yourself in 7 parts.





	1. Relapse

**Author's Note:**

> This is, as put in the tags, a DARK story.
> 
> Some of you may know that Demi Lovato recently overdosed, and the night I found out, I sat down to write my feelings on the situation and a week later, had an entire 7 part Betty centered fic on this. 
> 
> Drug addiction, to me, is very personal and raw. I have done extensive research for this fic, as well as drawn from my own experiences and I please ask that if you find ANY of the things mentioned in the tags triggering, do not read.
> 
> Now, I need to give a shoutout to my closest friends who helped me through this. Cyd (squids), I don't know what I would've done without your insight and amazing beta skills throughout this process, I love you. Evie (cacti-evie), you're my sister through and through, and I love you for your support as well as some awesome betaing for this madness. Cass (Cass) and Abby (abbadonthesouthsideserpent) I love you both so much, you stood by me as I created this and understood when I needed to just cry, thank you!

_American actress and singer, known as the modern day Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth “Betty” Cooper, was hospitalized late Thursday evening, the 2nd of October, 2024, reportedly due to a cocaine overdose in her Las Vegas hotel room following her movie release party. Cooper has always been private about her life, but there were rumours earlier in the year that she may have been using hard drugs based on interviews and photos that were released._

 

_Cooper was seen hanging outside of clubs at early hours in the morning with a number of people who were sporting gang related clothing and witnessed participating in drug deals in the past. Fans became concerned as she was, reportedly, constantly fighting with co-stars and MIA during her Oscar Award win earlier this year. There is no more information at this time, but more is hoped to come within the next few hours._

 

Betty sat alone in a cold hospital bed as she listened in on her manager talking to, whom she assumed, was her mother over the phone. A collection of “I will let you know more soon” and “she is stable” followed by “please calm down”, told her that the news must have broken from Nevada all the way to the small, New York town she used to call home. She wondered how many people in her hometown, let alone the rest of the world, knew about her fall down the dark path.

 

They had been able to hide it well last time, three years ago when her mother nearly lost her life in a car accident. Everyone assumed her break from music was spent with family, little did they know that she was living in a rehabilitation center. Unfortunately, someone can only get lucky so many times before their secrets explode and reach the surface, coming to light and to never be hidden again. A slight ringing caused Betty’s head to jerk, seeing her phone on the table beside her bed. Reaching over to grab it, a screen of endless notifications stared back at her, however one in particular caught her eye:

 

_“What happened is a tragedy, but it is not my place to speak on her [Betty Cooper’s] health,” says author Jughead Jones, who was a childhood friend of the actress._

 

Betty had known Jughead Jones since she was three years old, meeting at daycare in their small town. Over the years, their friendship progressed. Once, two teasing friends who loved each other’s company became flirting teenagers who didn’t think they could live without each other. He had been one of the few people outside of her biological family that knew about her rehab stay three years ago, and she respected his capability of being able to keep it quiet. Surprising it was, as he was writer, known for baring it all out on paper.

 

She wasn’t surprised that he was one of the first interviewed, a well known author on his book tour, it was bound to happen. But in the end, she respected the way he handled the situation with grace and wondered if maybe she should reach out. The idea felt weird to her, sure they were once best friends, but at the age of 16 their lives changed forever and it had never been the same afterward.

 

Her mind stopped wandering to the man with dark hair and haunted eyes, when the door opened and in walked a nurse alongside her manager.

 

“Ms Cooper, it was requested that you don’t have your phone,” the nurse said, looking to her hands where her phone still sat. “It’s just a safety precaution. Your manager has already contacted everyone that needs information.”

 

“Okay,” Betty said, handing her phone over to her manager, Erik. “So, when is my mom coming up?” It was the easiest question to ask, she couldn’t bare thinking about anything else right now, but she knew her mother would want to see her as soon as possible.

 

“We have her on the soonest flight out here,” he sat on the edge of bed and reached for her hand. “Her and I have discussed that we think it would be best for you to go back to treatment, but there’s going to be more rules this time.” His tone of voice was soft and caring, as he usually was when it came to Betty’s bad habits, but she could see the absence of hope in his eyes. That was what stung.

 

She knew that falling down this road again would cause problems, and she knew that this time around, it would take even more work to get to a happier place in her life. The problem was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

 

“The nurse needs to talk about some of your lab results, but we have a drug addiction counsellor on their way to discuss rehab and treatment options.” Erik pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled, trying his very best to show he was there for her.

 

An hour went by before said counsellor arrived. Betty sighed when she saw him walk through the door. He looked older, and she knew he must have been doing this for years.

 

“Ms.Cooper, it’s nice to meet you.” The man reached his hand out to shake hers. “I’m Ryan Connors. I was informed that you might need someone to talk you through a bit about drug abuse, and the after effects process.”

 

Betty nodded her head and waited for the man to continue. She tried to listen to him, she really had tried,but once he asked, “when was the first time you used?” her mind wandered back to her high school years, the night her life changed forever.

 

She had been fourteen, so young and supposed to be pure, but somehow haunted by the events that unfolded in her town. One night, after a big fight in her house over the death of golden boy, Jason Blossom, Betty ventured into the Southside looking for Jughead. When he was nowhere to be found, she instead found herself being pursued by less pleasant members of the bad area.

 

What started out as a conversation with a group of people, turned into her hesitantly going back to their apartment, and then, in a dark moment of weakness, it was her body finding comfort with the inhalation of a white powdered substance.

 

It had been such a fucked up situation. Her parents fighting over the same thing _again._ It resulted in her trying to find solace in the boy she wouldn’t admit she loved, but while he was nowhere to be found, she sought out comfort in something else entirely.

 

Addiction was something- as Betty used to put it- a weakness. But in her ten years since the first time she fell under its spell, she learned that it really was just another part of you. Addiction was one of the many things that made a person who they were. Despite the many times it had conquered her, she never felt ashamed.

 

“I think it would be best that you stay in our facility, there are resources to make sure none of this gets out and you can remain private about your struggle.” Ryan seemed like a genuinely nice person, but that didn’t stop her from wondering if he was doing this simply because it was his job.

 

Choking out her reply, Betty looked up at the counsellor and her agent, “I would like a moment alone with Erik, and then some time to rest, please,” she asked, hiding the pain she felt inside as she wanted nothing more than to break down.

 

As Ryan left the room,Betty looked  to Erik, wondering if she should even say what was on her mind. “I want you to cancel my mom’s flight,” she said honestly, wiping away the tears that forced their way out.

 

“What?” He asked in disbelief, fully aware of the relationship she shared with her mother.

 

“He seems really nice, and this program sounds like a great idea, but I can’t do it here,” Betty explained. “This started in Riverdale, and as much as going back there seems like a fucked up idea, it’s the place where it needs to be worked on.”

 

Erik stared blankly at Betty for a moment before rubbing his hand over his face,sighing exasperatedly. “I will get you on the next flight there, but you are not to be left alone for a second. I am going to make sure of it.” She smiled thankfully, knowing that at the very least, Erik loved her as more than just a client, but a friend too.

 

Remarkably, the doctors had let her go, as long as she wasn’t left alone and transferred her to Riverdale Central Hospital. Erik had gotten her on a private plane,the ride anything but eventful. If she had gotten a dollar every time Erik needed to answer a call, she’d be able to afford a new plane (okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it felt like that).

 

As the plane came to land, she looked around and saw nothing but trees and a town she once swore she would never return to. The hospital was imprinted in her brain from all the times she’d spent here in her twenty-four years of life. The air around her felt too comfortable- too safe.

 

Walking inside the doors, she was greeted with countless stares and mumbles, but she ignored them the way she’d practised many times in her career and walked right to the room she was told would be hers. She had known the numbers plastered on doors through this hallway like she knew the lyrics to her favourite song or speeches from her favourite movies, somehow becoming imprinted in her brain like any other part of her. She had spent her childhood years in here a hundred times over, whether it be for her family or herself, somehow a visit to the hospital was always paid.

 

Betty was in the hospital for no longer than twenty minutes when her mother came through the door, eyes swollen from what seemed like endless hours of crying and ran over to her daughter, holding her close to her chest the way you would a baby.

 

“Mom, I’m okay,” Betty lied to both her mother and herself. “Really, I’m fine.”

 

Alice pulled away from Betty and tried not to say anything, but the look in her daughter’s eyes told her she had to.

 

“You are not okay, you may think you are, but you aren’t.” She held onto Betty’s hand and sighed. “We all wanted to believe you when you said you could handle this, but Erik had noticed strange behavior, and it became clear you were using again.”

 

“Mom,” Betty snapped, shaking her head. “It was a one time thing, I went out to a party and had a weak moment, but I’m fine.” She wasn’t lying, not really anyway.

 

It had been at a party where she got ahold of the drugs, and in a moment alone in her hotel room, as she thought about where her life was at, she used, and she used hard. Except it wasn’t a one time thing, she’d thrown away nearly three years of sobriety a few months earlier, after a fight with one of her closest friends and ever since then she’d, once again, become victim to the high.

 

“I love you and I love everyone for trying to help me, but I don’t _need_ help.”

 

Alice knew how stubborn her daughter was, and she knew that it was one of the many things they had in common. “You can tell yourself that you have this handled, but you don’t.” She was aware that Betty would only listen to one person, and unfortunately it had come to this point. “Someone’s here to talk to you, and I don’t think you’re going to like what they have to say.”

 

For a second, Betty was confused but when the door sprung open and Jughead came walking in, she knew what her mom was doing. “This is bullshit, mom. This isn’t fair.”

 

“Betty,” Jughead said, continuing his path into the room and taking a stand at the end of her hospital bed. He waited for Alice to leave before _really_ looking at Betty.

 

Jughead had heard about her overdose mere hours after it occured. He hadn’t been told by tabloids or news sources, but from a phone call. Erik had called him as soon as they knew she was stable, aware that had he told him when she wasn’t, he would have dropped everything to come to the hospital right then and there.

 

He was on his book tour, it was his birthday, and there was already a sense of guilt that came with the simple fact of getting Jughead involved. He had known and then, unsurprisingly, the word travelled around, during his signing that morning he was asked about her condition. It was then that he knew he had to come see her in person.

 

“Do you remember the first time you used?” He asked her, it was the second time today she’d heard the question and wanted nothing more than to just absolutely lose it. “It was my fault I wasn’t there that night Betty, to stop you from doing that and it was my fault three years ago when you snapped and ended up in rehab. I know people say we’re just childhood friends, but I have failed to be there for you when you needed me most and I refuse to let that happen this time. You’re falling apart, you’re stuck in this vicious cycle of self destruction and you need someone. Let me be that someone.”

 

“No,” it was one word, one stupid, two-letter word but it was also more than that. It was one word used to turn down help. One word used to push away a person who cared about her. But more importantly, it was one word that created the beginning of the end.

 

\--

 

It had been two days since Betty woke up in an LA hospital, the beeping on machines and mumbles of her manager on the phone were the only sounds. A huge contrast to the wind and instruments on her tour bus. But, as she woke up in Riverdale, no sound at all, it felt like she was home again. They’d taken her off machines yesterday, and she loved the quiet it brought. Despite living in the city, her house was far enough away from any roads or other homes that it felt like she lived in the middle of nowhere, just as she did in Riverdale. It was one of the few things she missed when she moved- the way the calm of nature around her healed her from the evils inside her own home.

 

Now, she was being discharged by a doctor who had one rule- she wasn’t allowed to be left out of sight. Betty had scoffed when she first heard it, _I’m 24, not a little child,_ she had said. But the stern expression on her doctor’s face and the reasoning that followed told her she wasn’t getting out of this one.

 

Part of Betty wanted to go back to her mother’s house, crawl up under a blanket and just sleep until she was old enough to die. She didn’t want to face anyone who would be outside  the hospital, especially not the flashing cameras. But she also wanted to have Pop’s, and being back in Riverdale meant that was a must.

 

Her mom was here to pick her up, looking at her with sadness in her eyes, “I’ve been living off of hospital food since I got back here,” she complained, “do you think we could get home and order in Pop’s?” Betty batted her eyes like she was a little girl all over again, knowing ever since things went to shit with her father, that her mom would do whatever it took to make her happy.

 

“Yeah,” Alice smiled at her daughter as they walked through the halls. “that sounds nice.”

 

As Betty and Alice got outside, they were immediately swarmed with cameras on top of cameras and screaming people, anyone who could get near them, well, was. When they finally made it to the car with tinted windows, Betty breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s get home,” she said, aggravated with the attention she was already receiving.

 

Once they had finished eating, Alice cleaned up and went upstairs. A part of her not trusting Betty, but another certain she was far too tired to go anywhere, and even more scared to step outside into the swarm of paparazzi by the edge of their walkway. Betty had finally managed to fall asleep, but as time went on she found herself unable to stay that way.

 

_Betty was sitting in her bedroom, listening to her mother and father yell harsh words laced with venom downstairs. The sound of glass breaking over and over again, she knew things were coming to an end. Her family was falling apart right in front of her eyes. They had been fighting about it a lot lately, and she felt like she drowning in their madness. Knowing this would only end worse if she stayed, Betty crawled through her bedroom window and got outside._

 

_Nearly forty minutes later she was in the Southside of Riverdale, more specifically, in front of the Serpent’s bar- The White Wyrm. This was where Jughead spent all of his time if he wasn’t with her, and right now she needed to be with him. As she walked towards the door, two people she recognized came towards her._

 

_“If you’re looking for Jones, he ain’t here,” the boy with long black hair said, propping his head up to the bar._

 

_Next to him was a girl with curly, pink waves, Toni, Betty remembered her name was, and she smirked, “Look, Jug isn’t gonna be around tonight, but you look a little rough. Whatta say to blowing off some steam?”_

 

_At this point, Betty would take anything to comfort her, and if Jughead wasn’t around, their idea seemed like the next best thing._

 

_They arrived at an apartment complex not longer after, and the two chuckled as they entered inside. Leading her to one of the bedroom’s, Toni’s arm pulled Betty along and all seemed okay until she looked at the small, bedside table and saw a bag filled with a white powdered substance. Betty stepped back, “I-”_

 

_“Oh come on, you’ve had a bad night. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” Toni kept pushing until Betty finally gave in._

 

_“Okay,” she said, no longer regretting her choice once her nose met with the line laid out for her._

 

Betty woke in a start, the dream felt so real that she thought it had seriously been happening to her. Sighing as she remembered that the doctors told her this was a side-effect of withdrawal, vivid and realistic dreams or nightmares. She thought she was okay, but nothing could have prepared her for this feeling.


	2. Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The love for the first chapter was overwhelming, I hope you guys like this one just as much. 
> 
> There is a trigger warning for this entire story, but for this chapter, mentions of withdrawal and drug deals.

_ Just a few weeks ago, Betty Cooper was hospitalized from a suspected drug overdose but that didn’t seem to stop her from appearing at the Teen Choice Awards last night, October 18th where she won Choice TV Drama Actress for her character on the hit TV show “Young and In Love”.  _

 

_ Despite being questioned about her hospital stay and the rumoured rehabilitation stint, Cooper kept quiet about everything but her fans and her thanks for the award she’d won. Her manager requested she not do any interviews on the red carpet, and fans believe it’s because she didn’t want to be put in an uncomfortable situation.  _

 

_ While the topic of her drug abuse is largely speculated, people have also reached out to author and childhood best friend of the star, Jughead Jones, about him visiting her when she was sent to the hospital in her small hometown of Riverdale, New York. There were rumours of the two had been romantically linked in the past, however both parties have denied those claims.  _

 

_ As for now, it seems Cooper is doing her best to avoid interviews and questions. We all hope she is working on herself, surrounded by those who love her during this difficult time..  _

 

Betty scoffed as she read the Cosmo article online, tossing her phone on the cushion beside her, making her way  to the fridge for a drink. Alice had barely left her alone, and it was starting to become overwhelming. Though she understood where her mother was coming from, part of her wished she hadn’t asked to come back here and just continued to live her life the way she had been. Saying  _ I’m fine _ on set a million times a day while carrying the weight of her greatest secret as the sky turned from light to dark. It’d barely been two weeks and she was struggling not to call one of her old contacts for a fix, shaking constantly through the night when she should be fast asleep. 

 

Betty  _ hated  _ attention, which as an actress felt weird. She hated it growing up, even more so as a teenager, but never in the way she did now. Of course, winning awards and being on red carpets and televised interviews was incredible, but when it was negative attention or really  _ anything  _ but career focused, she pushed herself away from it in anyway possible. When everything happened three years ago, she thought she was really ready to move forward, to stop the drugs and get the help she needed. But as she stood in the kitchen of her childhood home, she knew that this time around she was far from ready. Though, she realized that two weeks earlier when Jughead had offered to be her  _ someone.  _

 

They had an ongoing thing between the two of them for years about being each other’s ‘someone’. As it was the title given when they were the person and only person that the other would turn to in a time of need. The first had been ten years ago after his mother left, Betty was the only one who knew the whole story and she was his  _ someone.  _ The second time was her first, when Betty lost her virginity to their high school football team’s captain, Reggie Mantle. But somewhere down the line, with more time and more demons within them, they were no longer each other’s someone, but two people who once knew everything about the other. 

 

Just as she took a seat back on the couch and clicked the TV on, her mother came in through the front door. She had what looked like 5 bags of groceries and unimpressed look on her face. Dropping the bags on the kitchen floor.

 

“I wish people would just stop fucking talking about you all over social media,” she sighed.

 

Betty groaned as she watched her mother come apart, this wasn’t the first time in the last two weeks that her family had complained about the attention they were now getting and she wished there was something she could do to stop it all. 

 

“I’m gonna go to the gym,” was all Betty said before rushing up the stairs and pulling on some more appropriate clothes for the occasion. When she came downstairs, Alice tried to protest but all the girl did was smile, “I love you,” she kissed her on the cheek and ran out the door. 

 

Betty had ran for most of the journey, trying her best not to make what she said to her mom at the house a lie. Alice knew that running had been a healthier outlet for Betty when she was in a dark place, and that’s why she was able to let her go without too much of a fight, despite the little argument she tried to put up. It wasn’t until she got to the White Wyrm in the Southside when she knew she was safe to stop running, as this was her destination in mind. Ignoring the whispers from around her as she did the entire run, Betty entered inside and approached the bar counter. 

 

“Is FP Jones here?” She asked the bartender. 

 

“No,” the voice was rough but Betty didn’t even need to look over to know who it was. Cursing herself silently when her eyes once again met Jughead’s, she groaned and began to walk away. He quickly got up and followed behind her.

 

“You think your mom wouldn’t tell me that you went out on a run and might be going to the Southside. Fuck, you think we both don’t know my dad is one of your old fucking dealers.” He snapped harder than he meant to as the two stood face to face in front of the graffitied brick wall. “Betty, we know that the reason you fell apart comes back to something between us. I want to do my part and help you.” 

 

Betty turned around and pushed him against the hardwall, “I know you like to think everything revolves around you, but it doesn’t,” she snapped. Her voice was shaking and she felt the need for a release run through her veins, as it always did when she found herself in a place of confrontation. “Who I am has fuck all to do with you, Jughead.” 

 

“You know what Betty, you’re the same selfish girl you’ve always been,” Jughead didn’t mean it, of course he didn’t. But he knew her enough to know that the entire “we care about you” speech would do no good, and that the only way to hit her deep enough was with tough love. 

 

Despite the circumstances being tricky, and the risk almost not worth it, he knew he had to at the very least try. “You do this because you want people to be there for you, you want them to hold your hand and tell them how amazing you are. Fuck, all you’ve ever wanted was to feel validated, but it doesn’t work like that.” 

 

Betty couldn’t even think, her hand clenching into a fist and connecting with his jaw immediately. “You have some nerve blaming me when you’re the one who chose to stay here.” 

 

Jughead looked at her in pure shock, his eyes filled with surprise and an underlying layer of rage. One thing Betty had never done was put her hands on him, or anyone else that he knew of. “I didn’t stay here, I left and finished my book tour when you turned me away at the hospital. But if you thought for one second I wouldn’t be here as soon as possible, you’re sorely mistaken,” he stated harshly. “You need someone, and you’re refusing help,” his eyes and voice both softened as he really looked at her. 

 

“I don’t  _ need  _ anyone,” she retorted, “and I  _ especially  _ don’t need you.” It was the last thing she said before turning back around and running down the road, only this time no destination in  mind. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go home just yet. 

 

Eventually, after endless phone calls and notifications lighting up her phone screen, Betty arrived back at her mom’s house. Alice had been sitting on the couch, a distraught mess with tear stained eyes. Sighing heavily, Betty set her phone down on the coffee table and walked over to her mom, “I’m sorry,” was all she said before pulling her in for a hug. 

 

“I know I fucked up mom, and I need help. I  _ want  _ it.” One word, it was one word that Alice and everyone else needed to hear before getting Betty the treatment they knew she desperately needed. Now that she had said it, there was no denying that by the early hours of the morning, Alice would have her signed into a rehabilitation center. 

 

Hours went by before she felt comfortable enough to leave Betty alone, but after she saw her asleep on the couch, Alice pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead and walked upstairs to her bed. Once Betty heard the bedroom door shut, she opened her eyes and sat up, leaning over to grab her phone. 

 

A part of her meant the words she said to her mother, she did  _ need  _ help, and maybe she wanted it too, but it felt like the idea of wanting help was coming and going with every other second. One minute, she’d be ready to sign the papers that put her in rehabilitation to further better her health.The next, she’d feel the urge to dial a number and get her fix as soon as she possibly could. Right now, as she read the headline that popped up on her screen, all she wanted was to be okay.

 

_ Things look tense between Betty Cooper, the American star who was hospitalized earlier this month after an apparent drug overdose, and rumoured romantic partner, Jughead Jones out front of a bar in their hometown.  _

 

Betty was a lot of things, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew that in this day in age with social media and the amount of people always ready to catch some story that someone with her amount of fame, as well as Jughead’s, wouldn’t get away with a public display of anger. But for the love of God, it seemed like people just wanted to feed off of her pain. No one talked about either of them when it came to their careers. Their names were only seen  _ everywhere  _ when it came to a point of weakness in their lives, and it pissed her off to no end. She didn’t want her pain publicized, she didn’t want her feelings publicized, and she sure as hell didn’t want her conversations about her addiction publicized. 

 

Scrolling through her contacts, Betty’s thumb hovered over an unsaved contact and ignoring the voice that knew better, she pressed call. 

  
  


The morning came around and Betty had thankfully gotten back to her mom’s, having slipped out unnoticed and slipping back in before she woke up. Going to the bathroom, Betty grabbed one of her mom’s small makeup mirrors and used it to spread the powdered demon out, smiling to herself before pressing her nose against the line and inhaling. Two lines later, her nerves had settled, Betty was able to walk back downstairs and onto the couch, falling asleep content with her emotions as she could barely think anyway. 

 

The blazing sun entering the window frames woke her up and it wasn’t until she heard her mom on the phone that Betty snapped into action. She walked over to her mom, taking the phone and hanging it up. “Elizabeth-” Alice began, but was cut off once again by her daughter. 

 

“Mom,” she smiled innocently, “I don’t need to go to a treatment center, I can get sober without it.” Betty watched as her mom looked at her disapprovingly, but she stayed silent and that was a sign to continue explaining, “The last few months have been really hard, and I handled it the wrong way. But I swear, I’m fine. I’m going to call Erik today and talk to him about getting me back on set. It might be hard with everything that’s gone on this month, but I want to get back to work and do what I love.” 

 

Alice was skeptical at first, not believing that Betty really could get sober by herself, but she seemed career oriented and ready to move forward, which was a big step up from the denial of drug use that she’d done in the past.

 

“Okay,” Alice eventually gave in, “but I need to know what’s going on at all times. Both you and Erik need to contact me and if you so much as feel yourself craving, you need to call someone.” 

 

Fully aware that the words about to come out her mouth were a lie, Betty hugged her mom. 

 

“I promise.” 

 


	3. Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes being clean was too much for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for drug use, implied/referenced rape, and panic attacks

_ Betty Cooper to make debut with movie, “Survivors of the Wild”, after drug overdose in early October. Filming for this movie began earlier in the year and was set to start up again once the release of her other film, “Kiss Me Quiet”. However, due to the actress’ hospitalization, filming was cut short and picked up again just yesterday, November 7th. _

 

_ Cooper went onto her instagram to show pictures of her on the set with her on-screen love interest and the caption, “It feels so good to be back”. Most are aware that Cooper returned to her small town north of New York while she healed from her cocaine overdose and recovered around family. Now back in LA for filming, we are expected to have Cooper in more interviews in the near future to promote the movie.  _

 

_ “Survivors of the Wild” follows a group of teenagers who want to spend their future summer out of high school travelling, but when their transportation breaks down in the middle of a ghost town, things don’t seem to end well. This will be the second Horror movie that Cooper has starred in, and we have to admit that we’re excited to see her face light up the big screen once again.  _

 

_ For more celebrity news and updates, follow @celebnewz.com.  _

 

Betty sat in the set trailer while her hair and makeup was being done for today’s filming. She found her leg shaking and hadn’t been able to stop eating since she got inside. There had always been food inside the trailers so that in between takes the cast and crew could take some time to eat, but it was only increased in the last two days of filming. The last time Betty had a fix was three days prior, and since then her eating was extreme. Being in LA gave her more contacts to get to the drugs, but at the same time, there were more people watching her every move. The cast and crew were on top of her like never before, while Erik had been making calls by the hour. It was to be expected, of course, in a situation like this. But Betty just wanted everyone to back off so she could do what she knew they were all trying to stop her from doing. 

 

“Cooper,” she heard one of the producers call as they knocked on her trailer door, “your scene starts in 5 minutes, get out here.” Betty looked up at her stylist and smiled.

 

“Guess that’s my cue,” she laughed, standing from her chair and walking out of the trailer. 

 

She stepped onto the set and immediately got into character- that was the easy part. But as the camera began rolling and the sound effects were used to mimic wind noises Betty found herself losing control as the sounds threw her off guard. She jumped back when her co-star grabbed her arm, despite it being part of the scene. 

 

_ Betty was standing with a group of young Serpents at the quarry when she and a boy named Sweet Pea went off alone. They sat in a mix of trees by the water as the wind and sound of their friends laughing were the only things they could hear.  _

 

_ “You want some?” The boy asked, taking out  a small plastic bag that was filled with cocaine.  _

 

_ Betty laughed and leaned into him, “of course.” _

 

“No, no, no,” she crouched down onto the floor and continued screaming the same word over and over again, her body was shaking back and forth and it wasn’t until everything went silent that she looked up to see the shocked faces around her. In complete shame and embarrassment, Betty got up off of floor and ran off set, ignoring everyone behind her and pushing past security. 

 

_ She couldn’t remember how long they’d been there, but things started getting uncomfortable. Sweet Pea stood up from the rock he’d been sitting on and positioned himself only inches away from Betty. As she tried to back away, his hand gripped around her wrist.  _

 

She got outside to the fresh air and stopped to allow the cold breeze help her relax. There were people all around her, of course, but she didn’t care. She needed to be outside and she needed to be off set. This was a terrible feeling, she was  _ trying  _ to get better but her constant need for solace in drugs prevented that from happening. 

 

A few more minutes went by before Betty felt comfortable enough to go back onto set, people were staring as she walked by, but she couldn’t care right now. Once inside, Betty approached the director, “I need to go to the bathroom and then we can back to filming. I’ll be fine.” 

 

The director looked at her with an unsure expression, but he didn’t know enough about her state of mind to question it. Betty walked back to her trailer and picked her phone up off the makeup counter, once again scrolling through contacts in need of finding someone to give her the one thing she thought would help her right now. Once the message was sent, she took a look in the mirror and walked back onto set. 

 

“I’m ready,” everyone looked at her like they didn’t believe it, but no one dared argue her. 

 

Filming came to a close three hours later and Betty was happy to be finished for the day. It was nearing 10pm and she wanted nothing more than to get back to her home for the night. Leaving the set in her car, Betty stopped by an area in the rougher part of the city. She put her hair up in a ponytail and threw on her hoodie, not willing to risk being caught by paparazzi or even just a nosey person with a phone. She had been here a million times before, done this a million times before, and knew the protocol. 

 

Approaching a group of men that she recognized, Betty smiled and asked, “is he here?” A nod from one of the men was enough of an answer she needed and she walked through the tunnel before approaching a set of apartments. The person she had been looking for stood against the wall of the big building. “How much tonight, sweetheart?” the name made Betty grimace, she hated the pet names given along meeting with dealers, but it wasn’t like she could say anything about it. 

 

The last time she’d done a deal was over a week ago and the ball she’d gotten lasted her about five days. It wasn’t a problem then because filming hadn’t restarted and she had free time in LA before her responsibilities began. But she knew she’d be stuck in filming until ungodly hours for these next few shoots and decided to get enough to tie her off for at least a week. “A quarter ounce should do.”

 

The man chuckled, walking over to his car and opening the trunk. “$375,” was all he said as he finished weighing the drug and sealing it in a bag for her. Betty pulled her wallet from her bag and counted out the bills, putting them in her dealer's hand, they traded and she walked off, ignoring everyone around her.

 

She got in the car and sighed, resting her head against the steering wheel and taking a look at her bag on the passenger seat as she felt a sense of guilt for what was inside of it.  

  
  


Betty arrived back at her home and walked inside the doors, pulling the coke from her purse, she set it on the ledge by the door and went into the living room. As she took a seat on the couch, her phone started vibrating on the glass coffee table and the name that lit up the screen brought that guilt back. She hadn’t called her mom in hours and knew that she was probably freaking out at this point. Reaching beside her into the wooden shelf that had a razor, Betty spread the powdered substance across the table and inhaled once before answering her phone. 

 

“Hey mom,” she said, trying not to let her voice falter as she spoke. 

 

“Where have you been?” Alice sounded anything but happy, but it was clear she was trying not to be too harsh. 

 

As Betty created another line, she answered her mother, “I was on set and things got busy, but I’m home now and about to go to bed. I have early filming tomorrow.” She was lying, as she had a habit of doing when she tried hiding her bad habits, but she knew that her mom would catch her a break when it came to work. “I love you mom,” Betty didn’t wait to hear her mother’s response before hanging up the phone and repeating the action four more times. 

 

Her hands were shaking as she walked from the living room over to the kitchen, where she reached up in the cupboard to grab something to eat but was met with the crashing of a glass vase across the floor that sent her falling back in shock. 

 

_ Betty tried to get away from Sweet Pea but as she moved her hand hit one of the empty beer bottles and it smashed on the ground. She became so focused on the disaster that she had just created, not realizing that his grip had tightened. The next thing Betty knew her body was laid across the ground with glass digging into her back and him on top of her, all control completely gone.  _

 

The memory brought back a feeling in Betty she hated- weakness. Pulling herself away from the situation, Betty got off the ground and ran back to the living room. She grabbed her phone and went into one of her playlists, finding the song that seemed to always calm her down. Spreading more onto the table, she felt content with herself. 

 

_ Oh please just _

 

_ Let me please break down  _

 

As she took her last line for the night, the song played in the background and she laid back on the couch, exhaustion taking over. 

 

_ Oh, please just _

_ Let me please breakdown _

_ I wanna break on down _

_ But I can't stop now _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of this chapter 
> 
> Find me on tumblr, @srainebuggie


	4. You Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for overdose in this chapter. 
> 
> This, to me, is the darkest chapter yet. So buckle in
> 
> As always, Cyd (squids) thank you for being the best beta <3

_ Betty Cooper has been back in LA for just over two months now, while the filming of her newest movie “Survivors of the Wild” is being completed. In her most recent interview with TV Live! Cooper revealed that this movie was one special to her heart as it was her “new beginning”, though she didn’t go into details, fans believed this was a nod to her hospitalization late last year.  _

 

_ Cooper has remained quiet on her addiction and the overdose that occurred, however we have had some more candid moments from the star since her release from the hospital. From her endless twitter and instagram posts of life on set, to moments with some of her closest celeb friends like models Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom, fans are now waiting to see when Betty and her lifelong friend, Jughead Jones, cross paths once again.  _

 

It had been a long few hours on set, shooting the previous day went well into the early hours of morning and Betty had been absolutely exhausted from her interviews that she filmed previous to her joining her castmates on set. With no sleep the night before after a pick up and use at home, once again, Betty had to leave by 10am to get back on set and she was feeling worse than ever. She pulled over to the side of the road and used her phone screen this time, inhaling three lines before shaking herself off and driving again.

 

It was nearly 6pm and filming was done. They had officially caught the last scenes and wrapped their work on this film. Betty was walking outside to her car when the familiar look of a grey knitted beanie caught her eyes- he was standing by the food cart and handing the worker a bill when she noticed him- he turned around and almost immediately she wanted to run the other way. But the gentle look in his blue eyes made her freeze in her place. 

 

“Hey,” he said quietly, approaching her with what looked like too much food for one person to handle, but Betty knew that this was  _ Jughead.  _

 

“Uh, hey,” she replied back to him. Looking over his shoulder to see too many eyes on them, Betty asked, “what are you doing here?” 

 

“Oh,” Jughead laughed, “They actually picked my book up for a movie, filming started today.” The proud smile on his face made Betty’s heartache, as she remembered a time when that kind of smile was caused by her and only her. 

 

“Wow Juggie,” Betty paused for a moment, it had been years since she called him that. “I’m proud of you.” Her phone rang and when she looked at the contact, her entire body tensed up, “I gotta go.” 

 

Betty was walking away when Jughead reached out for her, “I don’t know if this is completely overstepping boundaries but we’re done for the day and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out for a coffee?” 

 

“Jughead I-” her words got lost for a moment, the fourteen year old inside of her screaming a resounding ‘yes’. “I have plans tonight, but maybe another time.” She smiled sweetly before continuing her walk to the car. 

 

In her car, Betty sat back on her seat and pushed away tears. She hated that despite the years since being close the way they once were, Jughead had always managed to get under her skin. She had no idea if it was his ocean blue eyes and how they made her weak, or the simple fact that she’d been in love with him for as long as she could remember, but Jughead Jones was the one person, besides herself, who made her second guess all of her choices. 

 

It had come with the territory of being her  _ someone.  _ When she was little and wanted to pick out an outfit, she would ask him for his opinion even if she already had an idea. And then as time went on, it became more serious like if she should emancipate herself or tell her mom that her dad had to leave for her to stay in their home. She remembered when he came to visit her at rehab, and the way he always cared for her- even when she pushed him away. 

 

Her mind remained on Jughead the entire drive, from the filming studios to Taglyan Complex where the party was being held. 

 

When Betty arrived, she parked her car in the parking garage before entering the elevator and travelling up to where the ballroom was. Tonight was a celebration for all of the LA models and Cheryl Blossom had invited Betty a week prior. The two had grown close early on in their careers and remained that way ever since. 

 

Betty met up with the famous model as soon as she stepped off the elevator, “America’s Sweetheart has finally decided to join us,” she cheered, clearly already drunk, as Betty walked into the ballroom. “We have a few people out on the balcony with our fix, if you know what I mean.” Cheryl laughed, handing Betty a drink which she respectfully declined. Alcohol had never seemed to mix well with Betty-though neither did the drugs she chose to take. “Ugh fine, boring. I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for chaos.”

 

Betty followed the fierce redhead through the crowd of people before walking out onto the balcony where three others remained. She recognized one of them, being another model that worked closely with Cheryl in the past, while the other two were unfamiliar. “I’m Micky,” the brunette girl who looked no more than 18 years of age smiled. 

 

Betty felt uncomfortable in her surroundings, as it was clear that the three people out here for already high and Cheryl, obviously, was drunk. Normally things like this didn’t bother her, there had been plenty times in the past where she was the last to take a line, but tonight felt different. Tonight felt wrong. 

 

It wasn’t until after Betty had done her fair share for the night that the girl, Micky, pulled out a half ounce of coke from her purse. “I say we do a bit more before the night is over.” Against her better judgement, Betty cheered along her acquaintances. Micky poured a larger amount on the glass table than Betty was used to and she wanted to say something, but instead was stuck biting her tongue while everyone else laughed about her “courage” to take more than normal. 

 

_ As Betty spread the white powder across her phone screen, she knew it was more than she could normally handle, but this was Vegas after all, so why did it matter? What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  _

 

It wasn’t until the girl fell back in her seat instead of standing up that it registered something was wrong. She looked at her and the life had sucked  from her eyes. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably and when Betty walked over to her, her body felt like a burning winter fire. 

 

“Someone call 911,” Betty yelled, holding onto the girl as she continued to shake and tremble. “Are you fucking hearing me?? Call 911,” she demanded, and in a fit of fear, one of the other people they were with picked up their phone. 

 

“Hand it to me,” Betty argued, and the phone was put on the table beside her, “Hello, there’s been an overdose. Cocaine. We’re at the Taglyan Complex, ballroom balcony. Please, please hurry,” she plead and fought back tears as the phone call hummed its ending. 

 

Almost immediately, they heard sirens approaching, but as Betty held the young girl she knew what she didn’t want to believe was true. It wasn’t until a paramedic came running through the balcony doors and confirmed it, “she has no pulse.” 

 

Four words that sent Betty over the edge. She pushed past everyone, leaving the ballroom and taking the staircase down to the parking garage. 

 

Once in her car, Betty searched for her phone and instantly called the one person she knew could help her right now. 

 

“Jughead, it’s Betty and I need to come over, what hotel are you staying at?” Despite being confused as to why she was asking, he still gave her the address and she drove faster than ever to get to his place. He met her at the hotel room door and she ran in, a mess of swollen eyes and shaking hands.   

 

“What’s going on?” He asked as she stood in the middle of his hotel room. 

 

“I-I was at a party and they just- they were using too much, Jug.” Betty’s voice was weak, laced with pain and tears falling from her emerald eyes. “It felt wrong and I should’ve said something, God, why didn’t I say anything?” 

 

Jughead walked over and wrapped his arms around Betty, holding her tight. 

 

“It was just a party at first, we were using like we always do, but this girl. Oh my God, she was barely eighteen, she just, she used too much and she-” 

 

“Betty, hey, hey,” Jughead said, continuing to hold her to calm her down, “Did she die?” He asked, and the way her body immediately tensed up gave him the answer. 

 

He pulled away from the hug and rubbed his hand over his face, “Do you get it now? Betty, this could have been  _ you.  _ It was almost you a few months ago and you still used for fuck sakes. This is why we wanted you stop. We didn’t want you to stop having fun, because yeah, you’re young and in the public eye, partying is great. But God, Betty, this isn’t  _ fun.  _ It fucking killed someone right in front of you tonight.” 

 

Betty stood almost two feet in front of Jughead and looked at him in shock, his tone was harsh, a complete contrast to the way he sounded as he was holding her close only moments before.

 

“Jug, I know, okay? I fucking know!” She yelled right back at him. “I need help, and I know that now. I realized it as I was standing there and watched her prepare the line, it was  _ too much _ and I’ve been there before. What if it happened one night when no one was with me? I’d be her. I’d be dead, Jughead. I don’t wanna die,” her voice fell apart with the last words and her entire body came crashing down. 

 

She sat in a ball on his floor, shaking back and forth. “I don’t wanna die.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it through this hard chapter, let me know what you think.


	5. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cyd (squids/shrugheadjonesthethird) and Evie (Cacti-Evie) are the best co-betas <3

_ With the finalization of filming, fans assumed Betty Cooper would be getting back into music or starting a new movie. However, news released yesterday morning, January 10th, 2025, that she was checked into a rehab facility near her LA home following the overdose and death of young model, Micky Adams, Friday night.  _

 

_ A source close to the star said that she [Betty] had felt guilty for not doing something when she was at the party, and this was the wakeup call she needed to finally get clean. This source also revealed that Betty’s lifelong friend, Jughead Jones, was in LA for business and that she went to him the night of the incident. This account was unconfirmed until he was spotted outside of Country Villa Rehabilitation Center where the star is doing her recovery.  _

 

Betty hated rehab, this was a fact. She hated it three years ago when she entered the first time, and it wasn’t because of getting clean. She just hated the energy. The people around her who were sad and broken and needed fixing just the way she did; the doctors and counsellors who probably didn’t care about their patients the way they claimed. 

 

More than anything, Betty hated the sessions. She could not stand having to sit in front of a person who wrote out her answers on a pad of paper, and she especially couldn’t handle them not leaving until she answered at least one question truthfully. Though, she assumes that’s the reason for therapy, so people stop lying about their habits and feelings. 

 

“What is one thing you do to express your feelings?” This question was the first Betty heard in the last forty-five minutes that she actually wanted to answer truthfully. Her mind immediately went to her twelve year old self sitting on her front porch writing songs and moving her body to create a beat to go along with the words. Betty had chosen acting as her main career goal because it became a way for her to play someone else’s life, but music had always been something she held close to her heart. 

 

“I used to write music,” she answered honestly, looking down at her hands as she spoke. 

 

“What do you mean by ‘used’ to?” The therapist asked her, glancing at Betty and back to her notepad. A few minutes went by and Betty hadn’t answered, “when you think about your music, how do you feel?”

 

“I feel like a liar,” her lips trembled as she answered, “I sat down so many times to write my truth, to put out a song so everyone knew I needed help, but everything I released was...it wasn’t me,” Betty played with the ring on her finger as she spoke, “I put music into the world that I thought people wanted to hear, no one wants to hear that you’re an addict.” 

 

“Sometime it’s about what needs to be heard,” her therapist smiled gently, “and I think you’re getting there. Because, for the first time in the last forty five minutes, you just admitted to being an addict.” Betty’s eyes widened, not realizing that she had said it until it was pointed out. 

 

“We’re not going to fix everything in one day, but I think that tonight you should sit in your room and write what you’re feeling, and consider sharing it with the world one day.” 

 

Betty had known the woman was right, nothing was going to be fixed in one session, but she was a step further now than she was when she woke up this morning, and that, to her, was a win.

 

Jughead told Betty he would have to be at the studio for a few hours and that he’d come by when he was done. She was grateful for a friend like him. He was someone who cared about her in a way she wasn’t used to, in a way she didn’t believe she deserved. 

 

She sat in her bedroom with a blank piece of paper in front of her, a pen that didn’t seem to work, though she knew it was because she wasn’t writing anything. In need of inspiration, Betty scrolled her phone to find a song. She rested back as the lyrics played. 

 

_ So angels, angels please just keep on fighting _

 

_ Angels don't give up on me today _

 

Betty had written this song back in high school and even went as far as recording it during the creation of her first album, but it never went beyond the ears of herself and the producers. Something Betty wasn’t so thankful for anymore, as she silently wished that someone had saved her long ago, even though the truth was the only person who could save her was herself. 

 

_ They say it won't be hard, they can't see the battles in my heart _

 

_ But when I turn away _

 

_ The demons seem to stay _

 

_ 'Cause inner demons don't play well with angels _

 

It had been so long since she last heard this song, only playing it when she genuinely knew she was in a bad place, but more so whenever she tried to write. 

 

The page remained blank for what felt like forever, every time the tip of her pen got close to the white material she backed away. Pushing the desk away from her as she struggled to come up with a single word. Eventually getting further and putting words down, what was once a blank canvas staring back at her was now marked in black ink, but words she didn’t mean, mocking her. 

 

Nothing she wrote flowed properly, and it got to the point where half her journal was now crumbled paper in the small grey trash can by her uncomfortable bed. Some covered in words that could have created something, others just thrown away in frustration as she smudged the blue lines with her tears. 

 

Stuck in the mindset that she wasn’t getting anywhere, Betty stood from the small wooden chair and walked around her tinted room, the only light coming from the white walls and shine underneath the door. The sound of her pen clicking against her thigh a strong contrast against the deafening silence around her. Her hand eventually finds comfort in her hair as she squeezes and pulls in stress, but never enough to cause any damage. After what felt like forever, she took a seat back at the table and glued her eyes onto the paper. 

 

_ It was nearly midnight on Christmas Eve, this was Betty’s first christmas away from Riverdale and all of her family, and she felt herself wondering if it was worth it. If exploring the world being the face of billboards across the country was truly worth losing the connection she had with feeling in her hometown.  _

 

_ She was in a tour bus promoting her first album ‘Party’ when she sat alone in the back behind a closed door and struggled to write anything new. Her first album consisted of dance tunes and club songs, the type of thing people wanted to hear, but as she thought about her loneliness during the holiday season, that’s all she wanted to write about. Of course, being honest in her lyrics was something she always found hard to do.  _

 

_ She thought back to her song ‘Inner Demons’ that she recorded and wondered if it was a mistake not releasing it, but quickly let that thought go as she was reminded of what the lyrics meant.   _

 

As she tried once again to find the right words, there was a knock on the door before it opened slightly and she saw Jughead’s black curls. He peeked his head in before entering completely, in his hand was a bag that looked to be from a local burger joint, and a drink to go with it. Nothing could ever be Pop’s, but this seemed like a nice alternative for right now. As he stepped into her room he noticed the overflowing garbage pail that made its home beside a desk, on top of it was a beaten down journal with ripped pages and scribbled words. Though no words were shared, he knew what she was trying to do, and wished he could help. 

 

Setting the takeout bag and tray with their drinks on top of the desk, Jughead sat on the edge of Betty’s bed and held out for her hand. She turned her chair over and leaned in so she could hold his, his thumb rubbing gentle strokes against the cold pale skin. 

 

“I can’t write Jughead,” Betty said as tears rolled down her cheeks, “I’ve spent so long being a fraud with my music that when I try to write anything real, it doesn’t come out.” 

 

Jughead squeezed Betty’s hand and offered her a small smile, “Right now, put the paper and pen away, play songs on your phone, and you and me can set up in here to have a nice dinner. Make it like Pop’s,” he offered, and the grin that lit up her face told him the answer he’d hoped for, “Okay.” 

 

Jughead stood from the bed and started moving the stuff on top of her table, opening a dresser drawer and setting it neatly inside. He walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed the extra chair, moving the desk out from against the wall so there was enough space for him to sit. He set his chair there and opened up the bag of food, pulling out two cheese burgers and two large fries, he put half on Betty’s side and half on his own. “Vanilla for you,” he laughed, pulling out a straw and putting in her cup, handing her the drink and smirking as she took it with a wide smile. 

 

Sitting down, he reached for her phone and scrolled, “I’d say we should listen to our song, what do you think?” Though he didn’t give her a title, she knew what song he was referring to. It was a song that they heard together for the first time, and it had played as they sat in the back booth at Pop’s, again as they drove through the Southside of Riverdale and again in a coffee shop when they met up during Jughead’s first book tour. 

 

_ Yeah, that town is cold as January _

 

_ Life comes true, dreams get buried _

 

_ Every day, destiny won't be denied _

 

_ It ain't yours to throw away _

 

_ No, it ain't yours to throw away _

 

_ 'Cause every time you open up your mouth _

 

_ Diamonds come rolling out _

 

_ It ain't yours to throw away _

 

_ It ain't yours to throw away _

 

As the song came to an end Jughead looked at Betty with a sad smile, clearing his throat he leaned forward and just looked at her for a minute. “Do you remember when I came to visit you in the hospital?” He asked, his voice hoarse, like he was hiding something. “I said that it was my fault you ended up in treatment three years ago,” Betty nodded, thinking back to the conversation they had as she sat wrapped in a thin blue hospital sheet. “I don’t think I ever apologized for that, your mom was in a car accident and you needed me to be there, but I chose this stupid relationship with a girl who wasn’t even worth it. I almost lost you and I don’t know what I would have done.” 

 

“I wanted to hate you for it, Juggie,” she sighed, squeezing his hand, “My mom could have died and instead of coming to visit, you were with this woman. But I knew that saving me wasn’t your responsibility, and that I had to do that myself.”

 

A proud smile, however small, lit up Jughead’s tired face, “I’m so proud of you, baby.” Betty should have been shocked, as they weren’t together and that’s the type of name you call your partner, but it wasn’t the first time he’d referred to her as ‘babe’ or ‘baby’ and she couldn’t deny the way it made her feel. “I’ve seen you fall so many times, but now you’re coming back around. It’s not too late.” Betty’s eyes widened at his words, and Jughead didn’t understand why but as she jumped up and squealed. 

 

“Oh my god, Jughead, you just helped me so much,” she giggled, her face lighting up in a way it hadn’t in so long and she felt so grateful to have Jughead here with her. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics included in this chapter are from "Inner Demons" by Julia Brennan and "It Ain't Yours to Throw Away" by Nashville Cast 
> 
> As always, come find me on tumblr @srainebuggie and thank you for reading <3


	6. Save Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So before I save someone else, I've got to save myself  
> And before I blame someone else, I've got to save myself  
> And before I love someone else, I've got to love myself ~ Ed Sheeran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fairly short chapter, but filled with emotion, I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> As this story is almost over, the final chapter will be posted on Friday instead of a week from now

_ Singer and actress Betty Cooper is still rumoured to be in an LA treatment home for her battle with addiction, however a source close to the star has revealed that she is doing well and is scheduled to be released some time within the next month. Of course, while this source was being questioned, they couldn’t get out of being asked about Betty’s relationship with Jughead Jones.  _

 

_ “They’ve known each other their entire lives, and when you have a connection like theirs, it never really goes away. He was there for her in a lot of dark times in her life, but he also missed a lot, too. I think that while she’s working on herself, she is also repairing relationships with those she loves, and hers with Jughead is just one of many,” the source opened up about how Betty and Jughead always considered each other their soulmates and best friends, even when they lost touch. The source went on to add, “He is visiting her almost every day. Of course, it’s hard when his novel is being brought to life, but he wants to be there for her.”  _

 

_ To hear that he is taking his spare time to visit Betty warms our hearts and we hope that they can repair their relationship through this process of recovery.  _

 

Betty had now been in treatment for just over a month, it was nearing Valentine’s day and she swore every time she went into the lounge to watch TV, another rom-com or Nicholas Sparks adaptation was across the screen. Despite her numerous romance movies that she had under her belt, Betty hated them. So when most of the girls in her treatment center would gather together for some company and television, she would sit in her room and write. 

 

After her visit with Jughead, Betty was on a roll with her words, a sense of relief falling over her that she’d never had before. That night she had written nearly an entire song before falling asleep wrapped in newfound hopes and dreams. Alice had come by the next morning, the two had breakfast together and she expressed to her mother how much she missed writing, how much she missed being her. Every day since then, Betty devoted an hour, at the very least, to writing. Though, she always ended up spending much more time on it. 

 

Tonight was different though, it was her birthday and she’d been stuck inside, still not allowed to leave the facility as her doctors didn’t think she was at that point just yet. It wasn’t until after visiting hours when everyone left and Betty was looking through her song journal that she saw some of what she wrote after Jughead left her second day in treatment, and she wondered if she should go down that road again. 

 

A verse had been written, but stopped quickly when she felt overwhelmed with the reality of her feelings and she hadn’t touched it since. But now, in the dark of her room that still didn’t feel like home besides the memory of those who had come to visit her, she sat against the wall and looked down at the page. 

 

The words she’d written that night hitting her with emotions, and her mind forming sentence after sentence. Her white lined paper was now full with cursive in black ink, little notes along the edges. Things had been crossed out and re-written, rips from pressing the pen down too hard, but the thing that she cared about most was the raw honesty across the page, an honesty she never thought she’d be able to share. 

 

As she read and re-read her words, tears welled up in her eyes. Betty wasn’t sad, not this time. But proud of herself for finally being able to write what she felt was locked up inside of her since she was a fourteen year old girl. Childhood secrets that no one would ever understand, heartbreak that she herself didn’t listen to until now. But more than that, a sense of hope she never thought she’d find again, and yet, she did. 

 

Looking back on the moment her life changed, she realized Jughead was right. Someway, somehow, he had always been involved. When she fourteen and needed an outlet for her emotions, the only reason she found herself in the Southside was to look for him. When she was sixteen and missed home, he was the one she thought of. When she was 21 and felt a crippling ache in her chest, it was because of the photos circling around of him and another woman that sent her spiralling. It took a long time for her to accept the reality, Jughead wasn’t the reason she fell time and time again. But simply, Betty running away instead of being honest about how she felt- with him and with herself. 

 

She fell asleep that night content and safe, not only with her surrounding, but with her heart. 

 

\--

 

It was a beautiful day in the treatment center, the sun was shining in through the window frames and the way it shadowed against the white walls made for bright surroundings. As Betty walked from her room down the number of halls, she stopped in front of her counsellor’s room, sighing as she knew what today was. 

 

Yesterday was the first time she’d had so many come visit her at once, and also the first time photos of her were taken while she was inside, as they wanted memories of her birthday celebration. Photos and videos were probably posted, which most definitely lead to comments and shares multiplied by fans and haters across the world. 

 

As if she was reading her mind, the door opened and her therapist welcomed her in. They took their usual seats across from each other and the older woman smiled at her, “How was yesterday?”

 

Betty smiled brightly, probably the most genuine smile she’d ever had in a session. “It was amazing,” thinking back to the laughing with her mom and Jughead, a few people she knew from the industry and Erik, “I really enjoyed being able to talk with people, as me.” 

 

“As you?” her therapist asked. 

 

“I feel like I’ve always been addict Betty, and yesterday they got to see me as just...Betty,” her hands shook the tiniest bit as she spoke, but not near the way they did when she first started here a month earlier. “I like being this Betty.” 

 

“You have made a ton of progress since this program started, and I want you to know how proud I am,” her therapist looked over at the phone on her desk, “however, part of knowing if you’re ready to leave is knowing your coping mechanisms. I want to know that when you leave here, you’re going to have something to turn to other than drugs.” 

 

Betty gulped, aware that this was a big worry, not just from her therapist, but family as well. “You’re writing again, which is amazing,” she smiled, “What about Jughead? He’s going to be here for about a year for work, correct?” Betty nodded her head, “A lot of your problems stem from things with him, and part of moving forward with yourself, is also moving forward with him.” She knew it was true, that Jughead had always been a huge part of her life. “However, that’s not to say he’s going to fix everything. Because when he leaves in a year, you’re still going to have a career here.” 

 

“My career may be here in LA, but my life isn’t,” when she didn’t respond, Betty continued, “I love my music and my movies, but my life is my mom and our stupid Friday night movies with cartons of ice cream. It’s late nights at Pop’s while Juggie struggles to write because he has to choose between his burger and the laptop for more than a second,” her voice trembled as she thought back to the rare sober nights that she enjoyed, “my life is writing my music with him over my shoulder making fun of my my messy scribbles that I say are words. It’s that stupid small town with pep and all the memories that come with it.” 

 

“So, what are you going to do then, Betty?” 

 

“I’m going to go home.” The words were simple, five words, six syllables, but a million thoughts behind them. 

 

Hours after her meeting with her therapist, Betty sat in her room, writing once more, when Erik came walking in the door. He had a proud smile on his face, “I have some news,” he said, closing the door behind him and taking a seat on one of the chairs. “I thought a lot about what we talked about, and after leaving last night, I had a few minutes alone with Jughead,” Betty went to speak but Erik was quick to cut her off, “You love acting, everyone who knows you, knows that. But it also comes with a lot of pretending to be someone else, and I was speaking with more people on your team, when you get released, we’re willing to put work into a new album, if that’s what you want.” 

 

Betty’s eyes lit up as she listened to his words, her heart filling with joy, “It has to be done in New York, that’s my one condition.” 

 

Erik chuckled, patting Betty on the shoulder, “we already discussed that. Your mom wants you home in Riverdale, and New York is the closest place to there with studios for recording.” He stood up and looked at her, “I want you to know how proud we are of you, Betty. In the last month alone, you’ve grown more than I’ve seen you do in the last three years.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second last chapter, wow, here we are. I am so thankful for everyone who stood by me for this fic, and I love you all so much. Comments are greatly appreciated! <3


	7. Survivour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who joined be on this emotional ride. 
> 
> Song titles mentioned in this chapter   
> Warrior- Demi Lovato   
> Drug Dealer-Makclemore   
> Inner Demons- Julia Brennon   
> (these are songs by other/real artists that were used as titles for songs on Betty's album.)
> 
> Fallen is an original song that the amazing Cyd @shrugheadjonesthethird and Evie @cacti-evie helped me write

_ American star Betty Cooper makes comeback to music with the release of her new album “The Truth” after dropping the lead single, Fallen, earlier this month. Cooper took a break from music just over two years ago to focus on her acting career, but was then hospitalized and in treatment for a drug addiction.  _

 

_ Fans had believed that the OD in October of last year was the first for Betty Cooper, however the release of Fallen showed that she had become victim to addiction many years before and her newest album “My Truth” is revealed to be the most honest, raw, and candid the star has ever been with her fans and herself. _

 

_ Songs on this album include “Inner Demons”, a captivating ballad about overcoming struggles “Warrior”, collaboration with Macklemore “Drug Dealer”, and of course, “Fallen”. Cooper is a writer on all of these songs, some completely done by herself, and by the reactions since the album release just yesterday, we have to say this new side of the singer is an amazing one! _

  
  


Today was the day that Betty had been nervous about since it was announced. Her album dropped at midnight last night, and she would be appearing on Ellen Degeneres today to promote it, also the first interview for her since leaving treatment. 

 

Standing backstage, Betty held tightly onto Jughead’s hand, “You got this, there’s nothing to be worried about.” He tried comforting her, something he’d done as much as possible in the last year.

 

It had been hard with her living in New York and recording, while he was in LA for filming. But between Betty being at the studio four days a week, and staying in Sober living with a sobriety coach, he believed she would make it through. 

 

There were more nights than he’d thought that she would phone him, the tears escaping clear as day through her voice as she said she wanted to use again, but he’d wake up to save her from relapsing at any time, as long as it meant she was safe. The three hour difference caused a lot of problems with availability, but the two did their best to make it work. 

 

The first time Jughead heard “Fallen” was when he surprised Betty in New York and walked in with Erik into a recording session, she stood behind the glass with her headphones on and sung into the mic like it was her last day on earth, portraying every emotion inside of her through her soft voice. The lyrics reminded him of a conversation with her, and instantly felt his heart beat faster as he wondered if he had somehow helped push her towards making music again. When Betty called him one day, screaming excitement about getting to do a collab with Macklemore, he couldn’t have been more proud. Jughead wasn’t one for modern day music, but he’d listened to a few of the guy’s songs and knew that Betty and him would have a lot in common when it came to the story that they wanted to tell. 

 

“Go out there and sing your heart out, baby.” Jughead smiled, kissing the crown of Betty’s head before she was called out on stage. 

 

“Please welcome Betty Cooper performing her new single, Fallen.” The crowd cheered and Betty walked out with a smile and waving her hands. 

 

She took a stand in front of the microphone, resting her hands around the stand and closing her eyes, 

 

_ A blinding light got me all turned around  _

_ Not knowing how to cope  _

_ So I went and turned to you  _

_ Just one time, that’s all it was  _

_ But in the dead of the night, I did it again  _

_ I turned to you _

 

The tempo rose as her words continued, her voice soft, but not without it’s cracks as she held back tears with every word. 

 

_ What a beautiful disaster this has become  _

_ Oh, a beautiful disaster  _

 

_ Staring at the night sky, been losing all control  _

_ I’ve fallen more times than I care to remember, _

_ Been down this road more than once,  _

_ What if I had turned the other way? _

 

As the chorus finished, Betty opened her eyes and looked back stage to the man who had been there through it all, her dark moments, and today, her brightest.

 

_ Wishing upon a star in the sky to just come save me, save me  _

_ A flash in the dark to bring me back _

 

_ What a beautiful disaster this has become  _

_ Oh, a beautiful disaster  _

 

_ Staring at the night sky, been losing all control  _

_ I’ve fallen more times than I care to remember,  _

_ Been down this road more than once  _

_ What if I had turned the other way?  _

 

Closing her eyes once more, Betty sung into the microphone as a stray tear fell down her cheek. 

 

_ If I hadn’t fallen _

_ I wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t be here.  _

  
  


Betty took a seat across from Ellen in a large red chair, smiling at the older woman as she was still clapping. “Wow,” she said, “You are amazing.” 

 

Betty smiled proudly and laughed. “Thank you so much,” she said, still a little out of breath. “I am so happy to be here.” 

 

Ellen looked at the crowd and then back at Betty, “You’ve been here a few times before, but it’s been a few years, it’s nice to have you back,” she peeked down beside her at the table, “We know me, I like to be happy, but there’s a few questions that people want answered,” Betty nodded her head yes, knowing this would be part of the interview and mentally prepared herself for any questions that would come her way. “You have gotten a lot of attention in the last year, but one thing people seem to want updates on is your relationship with author Jughead Jones, is there anything you’d like to speak to on that front?” 

 

Betty chuckled at the smile on Ellen’s face, this not being the first time the older woman had asked her about the man she was in love with. It had happened during their first interview together and Betty brushed it off with a simple, ‘we’re friends’, but she knew now was different. If the dedication on her album wasn’t enough, the holding hands as they walked the New York streets and constant instagram posts of smiles and tears at 3am should be. “He’s definitely someone very important to me, who has helped me a lot through this process.” 

 

“Many people have taken some of your posts and the dedication in your album as you thanking him for saving you, do you think he’s the reason you’re alive today?” She asked, knowing it was a pushing question, but also aware of the fact that this was a question constantly thought and asked. 

 

Sitting up straight and looking back, wishing Jughead was in view, Betty sighed. “I was the only one who could save me, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that I wouldn’t be where I am without him,” a few tears fell as memories came flooding back to her, they weren’t sad ones though. They were memories of the past year, as Betty came to terms with her addiction and asked for help on her own terms, of the moment she first wrote lyrics that had been feelings built up inside of her for years, the time she opened up to her counsellor, the first night she was back in the studio, and everything since then. Getting to where she was had been a struggle to say the least, and nothing was always amazing. She had days where she wanted to fall back down that road, but she knew she wasn’t alone anymore, “honestly, I’m just eternally grateful to be alive, doing what I love, and doing everything with my greatest ally by my side.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr @srainebuggie, and keep an eye out for some oneshots I'll be posting throughout the next few weeks!

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I am so proud of, and any feedback means more than you'll ever know.


End file.
